Jacob engel



PATENTBD SEPT. 20, 1904.

J. ENGEL. VEST.

APPLICATION FILED DEO. 7, 190.3.

w/r/vssfs. 1"/

N0 MODEL` Narr/0,715.

Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT OEEICE.

JACOB ENGEL, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

VEST.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,715, dated September 20, 1904.

Application iiled December 7, 1903. Serial No. 184,014. (No model.)

T @ZZ whom, it may concern.-

Beit known that I, JACOB ENGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Vests, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in stiffening-shields for vests.

The object of` my invention is to provide a form of interlining shield which will effectually preserve the shape of the vest-front.

Heretofore numerous attempts have been made to provide means for stiffening a vestfront without rendering it too sti or awkward for comfort; but so far as I am aware the stiffening-shield as heretofore constructed has been secured directly to the vest and has been coextensive therewith; also, that where it has been attempted to use tapes or other material in strips or bands they have been applied in a manner to produce ridges, thereby producing the defect they were intended to remedy.

My invention, however, contemplates a shield which is designed more especially to be applied to .the upper portion of the vest-front and which is not attached directly to either the vest-front or its lining except at the margins, but is suspended between the front and the lining and is so constructed that the suspending means will constantly tend to keep it straight independently of any resiliency in the material itself.

In the ordinary vest wrinkles are necessarily produced below the upper pocket when the wearer is in a sitting posture, which wrinkles tend to cause discomfort if stiffening is used for the portions so wrinkled, and the stiffening by its tendency to straighten tends to pull the vest out of shape. I have discovered, however, that by providing a stiffening in the shoulder portion of the vest which extends downwardly into proximity to the upper pocket this portion of the vest may be kept smooth and straight, the stiffening being unattached to either the vest or its linings except at the marginal edges. The effect of such stiifening is to straighten out the cloth composing the vest and cause the lower portion of the vest to resume its natural shape as soon as the wearer resumes a position to permit the cloth to so straighten.

A further advantage attained by my invention is found in the fact that as the interlining is not secured except at its margins any shrinking of the cloth composing the vest will not result in its being pulled out of shape by the interlining.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure lis aview of the linner face of my improved shield, showing also the points of attachment to the vest-front. Fig. 2 is a sectional view, drawn on line a' m ofFig. 1, showing also the vest front and lining distended or pulled out away from the shield and showing the points of attachment of the latter.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters in both views.

' In the drawings, A is the cloth of the vestfront, and B the ordinary lining'. A piece of cloth C of substantially the same dimensions is interposed between thefront A and lining B, and a stiffening-piece D is secured to the upper portion of the piece O by stitches E, similar to basting-stitches, but distributed or staggered over the entire surface of the piece D, so that all portions thereof are iirmly united to the piece C. The piece D corresponds in size and shape to the shoulder-yoke and that portion of the vest-front above the upper pocket. A series of tapes E are secured to its inner face, these tapes being arranged to radiate from a crossing-point in front of and above the center of the armhole4 and near the crown or top of the shoulder toward the corners of the piece D and the central points of the marginal edges. The tapes extend beyond the edges, and their extremities are engaged in the binding of the vestfront A, the parts O and D being thus supported by the tapes, but preferably otherwise unconnected with the vest-front or its lining except at the margins. The tapes are preferably secured throughout their length to the parts O and D by staggered rowsv of stitching Gr.

It will be observed that the tape, which extends to the lower frontcorner of the part D,

IOO

is turned at H and extends downwardly along the margin of the vest-front A to its lower front corner, forming a vertical reinforcingstrip I, in which the buttonholes J are formed. The other half of the vest (not shown) is similarly formed, the part I of the tape receiving' the stitches which secure the' buttons. The strip of tape which margins the arrnhole is also extended as an edge-stay at fand outwardly as loops f and inwardly aero/ss the lower edge of the piece D, as shown at F While I have described the part D as extending downwardly to the upper vest-pocket, it is obvious that it may be made as much shorter or longer as desired; but as this part is of comparatively stiff material it will usually be found desirable to make it of the size herein shown and described. The upper end of the shield extends over the' shoulder, the tape at the inner upper corner preferably terminating at the back of the collar, where it meets the corresponding stay pertaining to the other half of the vest. Y

The partCpreferably consists of the Wigan ordinarily used as an interlining. The part D is preferably formed of canvas, with an interposed piece K of haircloth. The shield being connected only by the tapes and at its margins, it is obvious that it will not pull the vest out of shape when cleaned or ironed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In avest an interlining shield suspended in the upper portion of the vest-front and formed of s'tiffening material having a series of tapes radiating from a common center near the top of the shoulder and secured to the vest-front near its marginal edges whereby said shield and tapes are made to serve as a spreader for the upper portion of the vest-front.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JACOB ENGEL.

Witnesses:

LEVERETT C. WHEELER, J As. B. ERWIN. 

